This Christmas will be very different! How do you spend your Christmas?
This is the FAQ at the moment.
Abnormal, interruption, despite the inconveniences it caused, give me chance to ponder on the true Christmas. What is the Christmas story that been described in the Bible? Joseph and Mary have to travel, no room available for them, they have to lay the new born baby (Jesus) in a manger, later, have to flee for life. Difficulties come one after another, with no end in sight, flee for how long was unknown. Moreover, there were widespread mourning because Herod killed all the babies in Bethlehem.
Manger: a structure or feeder used to hold food for animals. – Wikipedia.
That’s mean, manger is actually not for human baby to sleep on. And imagine the smell!
I am very sorry to disappointing you and myself. Family gathering at cozy fireplace, Christmas tree, Christmas stocking, mulled wine and everything that I love about Christmas season are not mentioned in the original Christmas story in the Bible. The traditional Christmas music which we cannot live without during Christmas time like silent night, O du fröhliche, and even the famous Bach’s Christmas Oratorio are not yet composed. There is a great discrepancy between the true Christmas and the kind of Christmas that I am expecting.
I like to drag my friends to have mulled wine with me in Christmas market, I am very enthusiastic in decorating Christmas tree, and I love to go to Christmas concerts. There are nothing wrong with all of that, but I have to confront with the inconvenient truth, that the core of Christmas has nothing to do with these things.
Contrarily, people who have to travel, in a foreign place, flee for life, mourning, homeless? Then they are experiencing the true Christmas.
Yes, this Christmas will be very different. And this unusual Christmas challenges me to reimagine Christmas, to understand Christmas beyond Christmas music, Christmas tree, mulled wine, or to be with family and friends. This unusual Christmas urges me to review on the true Christmas again. The core of the Christmas is to celebrate God come to the earth to suffer with us, and gives us hope. Let me take His example, to practice compassion and love.
Yes, this Christmas will be very different. May be some of us are having the kind of Christmas that closer to the true Christmas and therefore, a very meaningful Christmas.
Note:
There are many causes to support. Just to share with you 2 non-government-organization that I am concerning now.
1. Recently I purchased this beautiful fairy tales collection of postcards from Unicef
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up.
https://www.unicef.org/what-we-do
2. UK resident can make donation to:
Friends of Alalay (Santa Cruz)
Alalay foundation is dedicated to rescue street children in Bolivia. It is my dream to play a fundraising concert for this cause.